


The Canary

by Dragongoddess13



Series: Tumblr Prompts [46]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU prompt, F/M, Theft, artist, promt belongs to chxpin-archive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:31:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7044760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Artist/Commissioner AU from au prompts on tumblr<br/>Au creator chxpin-archive</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Canary

The Canary

Artist/Commissioner AU

xXx

"Mark 2 laser grid, glen reader 500 in the basement and three rotating on duty guards." 

"Not the most difficult job we've ever pulled." Barry replied watching Leonard look over the blueprints carefully.

“True, but we’re going to need a good forgery if we hope to get away before anyone notices the painting is missing.” Leonard explained. 

“And where are we gonna get one of those?” Mick asked from his perch behind the gathered crew. Leonard looked up from the plans spread out before him and smirked. 

“The Canary.” 

“No way.” Barry replied, “The Canary is the most secretive forger in the world. Nobody knows what they look like, or even who they are.” 

“I have a contact who has agreed to set up a meeting.”

“I don’t know Lenny, it sounds a little suspicious. Are you sure your contact is legitimate.” Lisa questioned. 

“I can't be sure about anything, which is why I’ll have to be extra cautious. With any luck they’ll agree to help us and we’ll be able to move forward.”

xXx

Leonard was dressed to the nines, Dark blue suit and matching tie with a black shirt. He was sitting in the outdoor area of a cafe in Star City reading a newspaper. He sat and read and drank his coffee for nearly an hour before a beautiful blonde woman walked up to his table and took the seat across from him. Leonard lowered the corner of his newspaper, looking her over. 

The young woman had a sweet, innocent face, definitely not the kind of person he expected to meet under these circumstances. She was wearing a white sundress with little flowers printed on it. Various pieces of jewelry adorned her person; a necklace, the pendant of which was hidden in the hem of her collar and a leather cuff bracelet as well as various silver rings. She was fiddling with her bag, getting comfortable at the table as if she hadn’t even noticed him sitting there. 

After a few moments she turned stunning blue eyes in his direction and smiled, setting a little black leather day planner in front of her. “Mr. Snart.” she greeted. Leonard folded the newspaper and set it aside. She wasn’t a cop, of that he was certain. There was something about her though, something he wasn’t quite able to put his finger on. She was breathtaking creature, and had he not been here on business he may have felt compelled to chat her up. 

“I am, and you are?” 

Her smile was knowing. Just what she knew he wasn’t sure, but he found himself desperate to find out. 

“You can call me Sara.” she told him. “Now, Mr. Snart, my employer asks only that you pay in cash and give them at least a week in advance. They would like small bills, non sequential serial numbers.” she unzipped the planner and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She passed it to him. “They ask that you follow these instructions to deliver payment. Any questions?” 

“Yes, actually. Your employer doesn’t even know the job I’m offering and we’re already talking about payment.”

“Leonard Snart, multiple juvenile offender. Although you have no record as an adult you are suspected in several robberies, none of which, despite suspicion can actually be linked to you or your associates. Did I miss anything?”

“The answer to my question.” 

Her smile was teasing now, and she leaned forward over the table, her arms crossed in front of her, giving him an excellent view down her dress. “My employer is impressed. You are just the type they are keen to doing business with.” 

“I’m flattered, but still suspicious.” he replied with a smile of his own. The smile shifted to a smirk when he noticed Sara’s eyes drawn to his lips. 

Sara finally looked away taking a deep breath and sitting back. “What my employer does is not illegal. They sell what they make to people with full disclosure that what they are buying is not legitimate. What anyone does with what is purchased is not their business or responsibility.” 

Leonard conceded. “Fair enough.” he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a brown envelope, sliding it across the table to her. She picked up the envelope and slipped it into her planner. “That is what I need.” 

She nodded. “Very well, instructions on when and where you may pick up the merchandise will be forthcoming when it’s finished.” with that Sara stood from her seat and picked up her bag. She slipped the planner into it and put the bag over her shoulder. “It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Snart.” she told him, holding out her hand. Leonard smiled, standing from his own seat and accepting her hand, bringing it to his lips and brushing a light kiss across his knuckles. 

“The pleasure was all mine.” he told her, reveling the light dusting of pink across her cheeks. He released her hand and she nodded slightly at him in farewell before turning on her heels and walking away. 

xXx

Leonard returned to his team a few hours later to let them know they were all set with their forger, they just had to wait for them to finish and deliver the merchandise. A week was plenty of time for them to finalize plans for their heist. 

Barry Allen was the newest member of Leonard’s crew and by far the greenest, but he was a brilliant hacker and Leonard trusted him as much as he trusted anyone on his crew. 

Lisa Snart was Leonard's little sister and while he'd always been hesitant to bring her into the life his father forced on him, Lisa was a stubborn woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

Mick Rory was a bit of a loose cannon but he’d had Leonard's back since they served time together in Juvie and there was no one else Leonard wanted to have his back and vice versa. 

His plan was simple. The Central City museum had just acquired a rare painting, one that would pay out enough so they could take some time off, months, years, whatever. They would have a chance to lay low and throw the authorities who were watching them off their trail. In fact if they were lucky some moronic crew would pull a job in their hiatus period and go down for all of their heists as well. 

Lisa had already duped the guards at a local bar and taken what she needed from them, and Barry had taken control of their systems a few weeks before, playing around to learn the ins and outs of the museum's security. 

Leonard had  taken a few laps around the gallery they intended to hit, and thanks to Barry he didn't have to worry about showing up on security footage. 

That just left Mick. Mick was their muscle, their back up. He was the one who got them out of there if something went wrong, he was the one who watched their backs. 

Once everything was finished it was just a waiting game. Within a week Leonard received a text message with instruction for picking up their order, and he gathered up the cash he'd collected for payment and headed out. He dropped the money where he was told to and shot a text back that the payment was made before making his way to the pick up for the forged painting. 

Leonard waited to open it until he got back to base and he was not disappointed when he finally opened the case. 

“Damn, now that's good work.” Barry said looking at the painting over Leonard’s shoulder. 

“The Canary’s reputation is definitely well earned.” Lisa added. Leonard hummed his agreement, setting the painting back in the case and putting it aside with their equipment.

xXx

The heist went off without a hitch and by the following week the painting was sold and they were all a lot richer. Leonard took the time off to case a few new places but mostly went about his business as normal. He spent his time working to make his cover business look legitimate and in his free time he partook in various activities. 

On one particular day, a day he decided to take a break from his cover business he found himself back at the cafe where he’d met The Canary’s contact. He supposed on some level he hoped to see her again, but he knew what a long shot that was. 

Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was just coincidence but not thirty minutes after arriving at the cafe Sara showed up, taking a seat by herself in the corner of the patio. She either hadn’t seen him or was completely ignoring him, as she picked a book out of her purse and started reading. She eventually ordered a coffee and something small to eat. She sat there for two hours reading her book and sipping her coffee and then suddenly, she closed the book, stretched and put it away, gathering up her bag, leaving money for the tab and heading back the way she came. 

Leonard wasn’t sure what came over him as he stood from his table and followed her down the street. She walked a few blocks before coming to an old warehouse where she disappeared inside. He watched the outside of the building for a few minutes, looking in the windows in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her, but he saw nothing through the tinted glass. With a sigh, he continued on, heading home. 

For the next few days he went back to work and by the weekend he was back at the cafe. They followed the same pattern. She read, he watched, and then when she left he followed her back to the warehouse. For the next few weeks it was the same and each time he saw her, watched her, studied her, he noticed something new he hadn’t noticed before. From the way she played with her bookmark, to the kind of coffee she always drank. Sometimes, when she was really engrossed in her book, she’d fiddle with the medallion on her necklace. He could never see any detail but he could tell by the way she always kept it close that it was important to her. Sometimes she would tap her fingers on the table or swirl them in the condensation pooling on the table. This woman was an enigma, somehow managing to capture his attention while simultaneously remaining completely unknown to him despite his vigilant observations. 

And then one day he noticed it, on her arm, a smear of paint just under her elbow. He was sure he wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t been watching her for so long. It wasn’t just that though, things came together as he thought about the smear. Leonard smirked to himself and went back to his newspaper, suddenly feeling content with his revelation. 

xXx

Leonard went home and made a plan that night and the next day he bypassed the cafe all together. He waited the usual amount of time she was there and when he was sure she would have made it back to the warehouse, he went there. 

The door she had gone in was locked but it was simple matter to pick it. The door opened without a sound, clearly having been taken care of. In fact the entire inside of the warehouse was a stark contrast to the outside. Where from the exterior it was dilapidated and overrun, on the inside it was like a million dollar high end loft. The bottom section that he walked into was a garage where he found two cars, a pickup truck and a little sports car, and a motorcycle. On the far side, just beyond the pickup truck there was a set of stairs. Leonard headed in that direction and climbed the stairs, careful not to make a sound. 

When he reached the door at the top he listened quietly for a moment. He could hear someone shuffling around. He leaned on the doorway knocked and waited. The sounds on the other side stopped, and he could practically feel the hesitation rolling off of her on the other side; could just imagine the look on her face. 

He heard the chain come off, and the deadbolt flip and then the doorknob turned and slowly the door opened. Her brilliant blue eyes peaked at him from behind the partially opened door and he wiggled his fingers in greeting at her. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Mr. Snart.” she greeted, trying to control her voice. 

“Sara.” he replied. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, eyes flicking around behind him. 

“I’m alone.” he told her, answering her unspoken question. Her eyes snapped back to his face, still wide with surprise. “May I come in?” he asked when she said nothing else. She hesitated, looking back into the apartment before turning to him and nodding. Slowly she stepped out of the way, opening the door up for him. 

Leonard stepped over the threshold, looking around as he did so. The apartment was spacious, but very cozy. Colorful throws over the sofa, books spilling from the bookcases. Even the pots and pans hanging from the pot rack were brightly colored. Another staircase sat across from the entrance. 

Leonard heard the click of the safety on a gun and the thunk as it was set inside a drawer. Leonard waited until he heard the drawer close before he turned to face her, a smirk in place. “Nice place.” he he told her. 

“Thank you. Can I offer you something, coffee, tea?” 

“No thank you.” he took a step toward her, sliding his hands in his pockets. “So,” he spoke up after a moment of just watching her fidget. “You’re The Canary.” for a moment she looked speechless. “I understand why you wouldn’t want anyone to know of course. Don’t want someone stupid enough to get caught to rat you out or tell the police who you are so they surveil you and catch your clientele. It’s brilliant actually, you're so anonymous, no one even knows whether The Canary is male or female.” 

Sara took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “What do you want?” he stepped a bit closer. 

“Nothing.” he said simply. She looked skeptical. “I have nothing to gain from outing you. Especially since I’ve done business with you and hope to do more in the future.”

“Oh.” she replied. 

“You do go work. The best I’ve ever seen.” he told her enjoying the slight blush. 

“Thank you.” she replied. “So did you just come here to let me know that you knew or what?” 

That was actually a good question. For the last several weeks, Leonard hadn’t really thought about what he was doing he just did it, and that included finally confronting her after figuring out who she really was. Now he was standing in front of her, feigning nonchalance, having no idea what to do next. So, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“Have dinner with me.” he said. 

“A date? That’s what you want?” 

He shrugged. “Sure, why not?” he asked as if he hadn’t just blurted the first thing to come to mind. She took a deep breath.

“I suppose I could do that.” she finally replied, face stern, body ridged. 

“Excellent. How about seven? I’ll meet you down the street and we can go from there.” she nodded. “Good, I’ll see you tonight then.” he continued walking passed her toward the door. 

When he was gone, Sara collapsed against the nearest chair, letting out a whoosh of breath. “That was too close.” 

xXx

Sara was at the corner at seven, a pretty little white dress hugging every curve on the way down and flaring at the bottom. Leonard pulled up in a dark blue sports car at exactly seven and Sara climbed into the passenger’s seat, reasonably weary but hopefully optimistic. “You look lovely.” he told her as he took her in. 

“Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself.” she replied looking him over in a black suit and tie. He smirked and turned to look at the road ahead, pulling out into traffic. He drove them to a nice little place in the city center where the maitre d knew his name and the wait staff took good care of him. They got a table in the back, away from prying eyes, private for an intimate dinner, just the two of them. He ordered an expensive wine and while she usually found expensive wines overrated, this one was delicious. She’d never been to this particular restaurant although she’d heard all kinds of good things about it. From what she’d heard it was hard to get into, but everyone here seemed to know Leonard so it was obvious the exclusivity wasn’t an issue. 

Sara wasn’t too proud to admit that she’d been attracted to Leonard upon first meeting and had it not have been for the nature of their meeting, she might have made an attempt at something more. The fact of the matter remained that until that afternoon, Sara had considered leonard unattainable in the way that one should not mix business and pleasure. And yet here she was, sitting across from the man at the most exclusive restaurant in town and enjoying, actually enjoying the time. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind Sara remained cautious of Leonard’s supposed interest in her. He was afterall a crook, not that she was any better mind you, but she had no doubt that there was at least a possibility that he wanted something from her and was simply using her.  

Dinner carried on and it was a lovely affair. Leonard shocked himself with how much he was opening up to the woman he barely knew. Usually he was reserved, cautious, suspicious, but here he was, telling her everything about himself. He of course left out the part of his life that involved his illegal activities, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t already know all that. By some unspoken rule they didn’t talk about that life at all, pretending only that he was a simple businessman and she an artist. 

When dinner was finished Leonard escorted Sara back to the car where he helped her in. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fine food, but Sara was loath to see the night end, so despite any sense of self preservation she invited Leonard upstairs for coffee, and he happily accepted. 

“You know, I was expecting you to be a lot more cautious.” he told her, leaning his hip against the counter as he watched her back. 

“I was at first.” she replied. 

“And you’re not now?” 

She shrugged, turning to face him with their finished coffee. She handed him one of the mugs and leaned on the counter next to him. 

“The way I figure it, I can either remain tense and waste a perfectly good evening worrying, or I could enjoy and it and remember that I’m trained in the use of several different kinds of firearms.” 

Leonard hummed. “I’ll try to remember that.” he told her. She smirked, turning around and heading for the sofa. They settled in and continued their conversation. And somehow, someway things escalated. Within the space of an hour she found herself on her back against the sofa, Leonard hovering over her as he laid a trail of kisses down her neck. She wasn’t really sure how they got there. One minute they were just talking, getting closer and closer as they spoke and the next he was kissing her and she had no intention of stopping him. 

She moaned as he his hand slid up under her skirt only to stop short of where she wanted it. She blinked up at him confused as he pulled away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for things to go so far tonight.” he told her, taking her by the hand and helping her sit up. 

“I don’t recall complaining.” she replied when she regained her breath. Leonard chuckled. 

“Careful, don’t say anything you may regret later.” he told her. 

“Life is too short for regrets Mr. Snart.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [Dragongoddess13](dragongoddess13.tumblr.com/)


End file.
